The Bluest Skies
by DangerousDream
Summary: "We need to be prepared just in case. And we're not getting involved until we have to," Michael looked pointedly at me for the last bit then walked into the kitchen with Eve following shortly after him. Suddenly Shane and I were alone again. He sighed, "I suppose it wouldn't be Morganville if we weren't in mortal danger," "Well you did say this year would change everything..."
1. the changes

_No one knows for certain what changes, big or small, lie ahead._


	2. prolouge

"60 seconds!" Eve called on her way in from the kitchen. We all cheered and started counting down. It was New Year's Eve and everyone in the Glass House had decided to stay up to celebrate together. We hadn't done anything amazing or over the top - that could be very dangerous in Morganville. Instead, we had ordered Chinese and Michael (who was now 21) had bought beers for him and Shane while me and Eve shared a bottle of something else. I was honestly very surprised that they had even let me drink at all, but they hadn't complained when I had poured myself a glass of... Whatever the hell it was. Either way, we'd all had a hilarious night. We'd joked around doing impressions and then played video games and then we'd danced about for a bit. We had finally been allowed to act like the young adults we were rather than having to constantly save the day. It was nice change. Despite being in Morganville, and being trapped in the house all night, I could honestly say that there was no place I'd rather be.

"5!"

"4!

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Happy New Year!" We all screamed, jumping up off of the couch. Shane blew some party poppers into the air around us and Michael blew into an irritating loud whistle. Eve, who had been standing next to me (and was considerably drunker than I was) jumped at me and gave me a huge hug. I hugged her back and the two of us lost our balance and slipped onto the couch.

"Happy new year, CB! This is going to be the best year ever, I'm so happy and I just- Ooh, Michael," she jumped up and ran into Michael's waiting arms. Michael lifted Eve up and swung her around, causing Eve to giggle like crazy. Eve was one of those drunks, I'd learnt. Not that I minded, we were all having such a good time. Michael lifted Eve up and started kissing her. I smiled at them. After everything they had been through, they deserved a bit of happiness.

Next to me, I felt a party popper go off. I gasped and reached to the back of my head to find confetti dangling out off my hair. I span around to find Shane standing there looking sheepish.

"I think I let it off too early," he apologized.

I shook my head at him and smiled. I reached up on my tiptoes and pulled him down so I could kiss him. He put his arms around me and I did this same, running one hand in his hair. His hands fell to the hem off his shirt and I immediately knew what he wanted. I broke apart breathlessly, and looked over to see my two roommates engrossed with each other on the sofa. I smiled back at Shane and kissed him again. It immediately got deeper and he started kissing down my collarbone. I moaned very slightly in his ear and then broke away.

"Upstairs," I whispered to him breathlessly, glancing at Michael and Eve, "Let's go upstairs,"

Shane nodded and lifted me up into his big arms effortlessly. I squealed then wrapped my legs around waist and my arms around his neck. I buried myself into his shoulder as he started heading upstairs. We got to the bottom of the stairs and he paused, looking up.

"Shit, I didn't think this through," he mumbled. I moved to get down but he grabbed my thigh, stopping me from moving. He smiled at me mischievously and started walking up the stairs. We managed to make it nearly the whole way into his room before he tripped on some washing he had left lying in the middle of the room. We both went flying and I hit the bed before rolling onto the floor. Shane landed on his stomach besides me. We both took a deep breath before bursting into laughter. Both us sat on the floor and howled for a while before I eventually rolled over and straddled Shane. He tried to sit up but I pinned him back down. I started slowly taking my top off to tease him.

"If I'd have known that all I had to do to get you to sleep with me was pick you up and throw you around the room a bit, I would have done that ages ago," Shane quipped. I stopped in the middle of taking my top off and burst into laughter. I tried to carry on sliding my top off but it was too late, I was already stuck.

"Stop making me laugh!" I cried between laughs, "I'm stuck now,"

Shane laughed at me for a few seconds, "I'm sorry. You're sitting on top off me stuck inside a t-shirt, but _I'm_ the one making _you_ laugh?"

"Oh, ha ha, very funny. Now shut up and help me,"

Shane laughed and pulled my top off of me and onto the floor far away from us. Once it was gone, I started with his shirt. We threw it away onto the floor with mine. I leant down and started planting kisses along his chest. I smiled to myself. This was going to be a good year.

* * *

I threw myself breathlessly on the floor next to Shane a while later. I gasped for breath and I could feel Shane doing the same. I shuffled over to him and lay my head along his naked chest. He lifted his arm to pull me closer into him. We stayed like that for a few seconds before he eventually leant down and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"For that?" I asked him quietly.

"Yes _and_ no," he told me, "Just thank you for being mine, I love you,"

I felt my heart skip slightly as butterflies filled my stomach, "That was adorable, you're not too bad yourself. I love you too,"

Shane continued, "If that was anything to go by, I have a pretty good feeling about this year,"

I smiled and buried myself closer to him, "Yeah, I was thinking the same,"

Shane laughed gently, "I do have a good feeling about this year, though. I really think that everything is going to change,"

I chuckled slightly, "I'm pretty sure you say that every year,"

"I mean it this year,"

"I guess we'll find out," I whispered and smiled. We both stayed where we were for ages, both of us naked on the floor, me lying on top of Shane chest. Eventually, we both got cold so I reached up lazily and pulled the duvet off of the bed and on top of us. We talked to each other softly for a while, listening as the world around us grew quieter and quieter until eventually, it felt like there was only the two of us. After a while, I felt Shane's breathing go steady and I knew he'd fallen asleep. I listened to the rise and fall of his chest and dreamed about our future together until I eventually fell asleep as well.


	3. one

Shane and I both growled loudly as the sound of a blaring alarm clock filled the room. As much as I loved Christmas and New Year, the first day back at school was pretty much always hell. Well, the first day back at school wasn't the issue in itself, it was the waking up at 7am and rolling out of my boyfriend's warm arms that I hated. I leant over and lazily switched off the alarm clock. I didn't move for a while, face planting into the pillow and trying not to fall back asleep. I stretched out as much as I could with Shane's arms around me and yawned like crazy. Eventually, I decided to actually get up but whenever I tried to move, Shane pulled me into him tighter.

"Shaneeee," I whined "I have to go to school!"

"You're already smart enough, just stay home," he mumbled into my back groggily. His lip tickled me, making me laugh.

"I have to goooo!" I whined again but ruined the tone by laughing at the last minute. Shane kissed my neck for a while then signed and opened his arms so I could get out. He repositioned himself in the bed but didn't go back asleep. In fact, he didn't even close his eyes. Instead, he smiled to himself and watched me potter around the room collecting an outfit for the day. I picked myself a simple red sweater and a pair of dark denim ripped jeans with black converse hi-tops. Before I went to the bathroom, I leant over the bed and gave Shane a kiss.

"Go back to sleep," I told him.

"Oh, I will, don't worry," he reassured me jokingly, then he paused for a few seconds, biting his lip before telling me, "I'm going to take you out tonight,"

I was slightly shocked, "Where?" This was Morganville. Besides the park, the drive-in theatre, the university or greasy Pete's fast food diner, I'd never been really been anywhere. I didn't even realize that there was anywhere else in Morganville. Well, anywhere else that wasn't vampire-designated, that was. Besides, we wouldn't be able to stay out for long before the sun set anyway. As nice as the idea of a date with Shane was, I wasn't sure if it was practical.

"I'll surprise you," he told me, then as if reading my thoughts (or at least thinking the same ones himself), he added, "It's Morganville. It's not going to be the ritz but I still know how we can have a good time,"

I nodded, then smiled and kissed his cheek, "Well, I'll be looking forward to it,"

I heard some clattering about in the room next to me and realized that Eve was waking up. Shane and I shared a look at how loud she was being then laughed as we both heard her cursing as she groggily stubbed her toe. I grabbed my clothes, determined to get into the bathroom before she did.

"Don't forget me while you're sitting in that boring old classroom all day," Shane called as one last light-hearted attempt to get me to stay home with him.

"I woonnn'ttt!" I dragged out then put a faux confused look on my face before turning to him and saying, "Wait. Who are you again?"

* * *

The second that we were dismissed from class, I jumped out of my chair and rushed out. The professor (who was probably as crazy as Myrnin) had decided that we weren't working hard enough and that we should stay for an extra half an hour to make up for it. While I couldn't entirely disagree with him since Gina was also in my class and there was no way she worked hard enough, the delay had meant that was I going to be late for the lab with Myrnin. There was no way that Myrnin would settle for the 'my teacher wanted us for longer than usual' excuse and I would probably end up staying there until late and then I would miss Shane's dinner.

Shane. I missed him. Even now, when I was just around the corner, I was thinking about him. I really was in love. Younger me probably would have hated the idea of being all sappy for a boy. Hell, I still cringe whenever I think about it now. But there was something about Shane that made me forget about that whenever I was with him. I didn't really believe in soulmates, so to speak, but I'd say that Shane and I were pretty close. We'd been through so much together. We'd had good times and bad times but in the end, it only made us closer.

That's how I knew it was meant to be.

Before I knew it, I was standing in the alleyway outside the day house. Grandma Day was out on her swing and I gave her a wave as I head down into the lab. She didn't bother to warn me to be careful anymore. It wouldn't make any difference whether I was careful or not when you were dealing with Myrnin.

I knocked lightly on Myrnin's door then walked in. I flung my bag by the top of the stairs, ready to grab it in an emergency. It had been a while since Myrnin had been that crazy, disease ridden vampire who could turn on me in any second and it had been a while since he had bitten me when things with Ada got crazy - but I still couldn't help but be cautious. You could never be too cautious in Morganville. I walked down into the lab area and looked around blindly for a few seconds as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Myrnin was leaning over the desk, concentrating on something that I couldn't see. I edged closer quietly and leaned over the desk beside him. There was a large piece of paper that looked like a blueprint or a map of some sort of building. Next to it, was a smaller piece of paper but it's presence was powerful. I recognized the handwriting and the signature immediately. Amelie. But what was so important that Amelie would personally write to Myrnin? What was so important that Myrnin hadn't even heard me come in?

"Claire!" Myrnin yelled, more from shock than anger. He grabbed the papers and folded them up quickly so that I couldn't see them, "What are you doing here?"

I paused, then explained, "It's Monday, Myrnin. I always work on Mondays,"

I panicked for a second, wondering if I had gotten the dates wrong and Myrnin wanted me next Monday instead. Or maybe Amelie had changed my timetable and I was supposed to be somewhere else right now. All those fears melted away though as I saw realization set in on Myrnin's face and he suddenly looked sheepish. Then a dark cloud passed over his face and he glared at me, looking furious "How much did you see?"

"What?" I asked, backing towards the stairs "I mean- I know that you got a letter from Amelie but I didn't read it or anything,"

Myrnin visibly relaxed," Oh. Well... I won't be needing your assistance today, Claire. You are free to go. Don't worry, you will still be paid,"

"Myrnin, what's going-"

"None of your business, child. Just go," then he growled, "While you still can,"

I nodded and rushed towards the door. I swung my backpack over my shoulder and ran back out into the alleyway and started making my way home. I couldn't help but think about how strange that had been. Whatever Myrnin was working on for Amelie, it was obviously very dangerous if he had gotten so angry at the idea that I might have seen part of it. A very big part of me wished I had grilled Myrnin for more information. Maybe I could have helped him? Or at least assisted? But the other part, the self-preserving part which I didn't really see that often, told me that I was already in enough trouble in this town and the last thing I needed was to go and get myself involved in more. Plus, Myrnin had growled at me. Actually growled. That usually meant that I should get away as quickly as possible.

Then a smile spread across my mouth as I realized that since I had finished so early, I had more time to focus on Shane and I's date. I could maybe put on some make-up and pick out a nice outfit. Then we could probably leave a bit earlier and get more time together before the sun goes down. I couldn't help but wonder where Shane was going to take me. Morganville wasn't exactly the best place for date night (most people didn't live long enough to have many, I noted with a shiver) but I trusted Shane. He would figure something out. He acted like he was the typical 'manly' man but really, he was a huge romantic deep down. Whatever we ended up doing, it would be an amazing night.

* * *

I laid two different dresses out on the bed as I bit my cheek, contemplating which one to wear. Normally, I'd just find a pair of jeans, pick out a random t-shirt, throw on my trusty converse, run a brush through my hair then run out the door. I'd never been one for fancy clothes but I wanted to make an effort for my date with Shane. That was easier said than done though. As romantic as it was, not knowing where we were going made it a lot harder to chose something to wear. I didn't want to be wearing jeans if we were going to an expensive restaurant but at the same time, I didn't want to wear a formal dress if we were just going to Pete's greasy takeaway diner.

I walked over to the door and called downstairs, "Is Eve home yet?"

Eve shouted back, confirming "She is! Any reason you're asking?"

"Just come here for a second," I called and then heard her dragging her feet up the stairs, so I added, "I need your advice on outfits,"

As if by magic, Eve started bouncing up the stairs and within seconds, she was at my door. She pushed into the room and stared down at the outfits I picked out then asked "Date night with Shane?"

I blushed and nodded, tucking my hair behind my ear, "Yeah. I don't know where he's taking me though. I don't want to end up over or under dressed, you know?"

Eve sighed like she knew _exactly_ what I meant and I wondered how many dates she'd been on before meeting Michael. I decided not to ask. Eve didn't like to talk much about her past. She'd lost her virginity when she was really young and from what little I knew, she'd dated a lot of guys who turned out to be cheaters or players or abusive assholes or just a huge mistake from start to finish. Maybe that was for the best though, since she eventually met Michael and there was no doubt in my mind that the two of them were meant to be. If I believed in fate, I'd say that it worked in mysterious ways.

I turned my attention back to Eve who was now running the material of both dresses in between her hands. She gave each one another long look like she was choosing my wedding dress rather than just a dress for a date. Then held up the white dress with roses on it and pushed it into my arms.

"That one is best. It's pretty enough that you can dress it up or down" she declared then gasped and rushed to my closet. I jumped instinctively then followed her. She began pushing her way through my clothes then found what she needed and pulled out a denim jacket and thrust it at me.

I smiled at her and started grabbing things to start getting ready with, "Thank you so much, Eve. I don't know what I'd do without you,"

"Well you'd probably still be wearing awful clothes, for starters" Eve winked at me then gasped again, "Oh my God, you _have_ to let me do your make up too!"

What had I gotten myself into?

* * *

"Okay," Eve said as she touched up the final bit of the make-up, "Now you can see,"

She grabbed the back of the chair and spun me around to look into the mirror. I looked completely different. I looked... Pretty. For a change. Eve hadn't put much make-up on but what she had put on looked great. I looked a lot older, more mature. Sexier, too, I noticed. Honestly, Eve was a miracle worker.

"I love it," I told her honestly and she shrugged then we both laughed. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I called and Shane came through the door. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a fancy-casual navy shirt that Eve had bought him for Christmas after insisting that he had no fashion sense (which was probably true to be honest). I was suddenly glad that Eve had picked out the more casual dress.

"Wow," he gaped and I felt my cheeks go bright red, "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded, "Where are we going though?"

He tapped my nose, "It's a surprise,"

"Just tell me," I whined. He laughed and kissed me quickly.

"But if I tell you it won't be a surprise anymore," I pouted and he laughed, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room, "Come on, let's just go. The quicker we get there, the quicker you can find out what I have planned for us,"

I smiled and leant up to kiss him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eve shoot me a double thumbs up before winking and leaving the room. I tried my best to hold in a giggle and instead, focused on Shane. His lips were warm and his body was strong as I leaned against him. In a strange way, he felt like home. Suddenly, I was broken out of my haze by my phone ringing. Shane and I both frowned and broke away. I rested my head against his forehead but made no attempt to answer the phone.

Shane moved as if to answer it but I grabbed his arm and held him closer to me, "Just leave it. If it's important, they'll call back,"

The phone stopped ringing and there was a few seconds of blissful silence but the annoyingly loud ringtone blared through the room again. I growled and leaned over to answer it while Shane rested lazily against my door frame.

"Hello?" I spoke into the phone.

"Claire sweetheart, how are you?" The voice of my mother called down the speaker. I sighed.

"Mom, I'm a little busy right now," I sighed.

"Well I'll only be about 5 minutes then,"

I sighed again, for emphasis, "Mom, is there anything you need?"

"Well no, but-"

"I'm just really busy Mom, I can call you tomorrow,"

"Well okay, but Claire, I only wanted to talk to you for like 5 minutes," She argued.

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay," she sounded disheartened and I felt a little bit guilty. I'd have to make up for it tomorrow, that's for sure. I heard my Dad's voice in the background but I couldn't make out what he was saying. After a long few seconds, my Mom came back to the phone, "Your Dad and I love you,"

"I love you too guys but I really have to go. I'll speak to you tomorrow,"

Mom sounded annoyed as she put the phone down "Bye Claire,"

I turned to Shane, "Ready to go?"

He nodded, "Let's go,"

* * *

"I still can't get over that view. Who knew Morganville even had something this nice?" I mused as I gazed over the side. Shane had driven me to what had seemed like a field then we walked for a while and ended up on the edge of the cliff with a picnic basket. We sat on the edge and peered over. I was never really one for sightseeing, and neither was Shane, but the longer you sat here, the prettier it got.

I shivered slightly and reached for the last jam sandwich. Shane noticed and raised an eyebrow at me before sliding off his leather jacket and putting it over my shoulders. I pulled it tighter and then smiled at him graciously.

"Thank you,"

"Anytime," he whispered then leaned in to kiss me. Suddenly, there was fire and burning passion. Even after all this time, I felt butterflies in my stomach and my knees felt like jelly whenever he was near. How did he have such an effect on me? I leaned in towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck. As we both let go for breath, I paused then realized that I'd spilt jam down his back. He realized too.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," I burst out immediately.

He shrugged and winked then the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He balled it up and flung it to the side. I let my eyes travel down his body and kneeled up to put my hands on his bare chest.

"But now you're going to be cold," I whispered.

"I guess you'll have to warm me up then," he replied. I put the sandwich on the floor carefully, which made Shane chuckle. Then I put my hands back around his neck and leaned in again. We were both engrossed in each other. Whenever we were together, it was as if we got cut off from the world because what out that could be better than what we had right in front of us?

On one of the brief seconds that I was aware of something other than Shane, I noticed that the sky was slowly turning a deep shade of orange. I started to gaze off into the sunset. Shane carried on kissing my neck and I sighed, "It's nearly sunset, we should start getting back quickly if we don't want to get caught,"

He knew what that meant. He sighed, sound nearly as annoyed as I was, before pushing himself back up and packing away the picnic stuff. I helped by rolling up the blanket and grabbing Shane's scrunched up shirt. Once he was finished, I reached for his hand. He squeezed it back and we started heading back to our home and reality.

* * *

I woke up to an irritating blaring noise. I groaned and rolled away from Shane's warm body and reached my hand out blindly for my phone without opening my eyes. When I couldn't find it, I shuffled over a bit more and edged one eye open. I grabbed the phone and looked at the caller ID quickly. It was my mom. In my half-sleeping form, I considered switching it. A quick glance at the clock next to Shane told me that it was 6 o'clock in the morning, which to Mom, was a perfectly reasonable time to be awake. But to the rest of the world? Not so much. As cruel as it sounded, I really didn't have the energy to speak to her this morning, or any morning. Why did she have to call constantly? I know that I'm their only child and that they love me but seriously? There was a fine line between loving and stalking. I quickly pressed the ignore button and put the phone down on the bed before leaning into Shane and snuggling in.

After a few peaceful seconds, the phone rang again. I felt a shiver go through my body as a sense of uneasiness took over me. Shane must have felt it too as he started stirring and mumbled hazily, "Who is it? Why are they calling this early?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I scooped the phone up and answered quickly.

"Is this Claire Danvers?" An unfamiliar male voice asked on the other side. He asked me some questions and I answered them without thinking. My heart was pounding in my chest and the lump that was rapidly growing in my throat started to choke me. My thoughts raced around my head at a million miles a minute. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was wrong. He had to be wrong. After what felt like forever, he said goodbye and as I put the phone down I felt myself split into a million pieces.

Shane was right next to me and had been for the duration of the call. His eyes were almost as wide as mine and I could see the fear and love shining through chocolate brown irises. He opened his mouth, as if he was terrified that by asking any questions, he would ruin all the wonderful memories we'd made last night.

"What's wrong, Claire?"

I wanted to tell him everything but when I did, the air escaped me. All that came from my mouth was a strangled cry and then four words that nobody wanted to say, especially not now, "My parents are dead,"


	4. two

"I have to go," I muttered under my breath. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt Shane's hand on my arm as he tried to pull me back, to get me to stay. I vaguely remember seeing confused faces of Michael and Eve coming out of their rooms. I think they may have been shouting my name, asking me where I was going. None of it mattered though. I ignored everything, my mind was in a haze. It felt like I was suddenly suffocating and I just had to get away. I had to be able to breathe.

The freezing mid-January air hit my face and as soon as it did, I took off running. I let my legs guide me even though I had no idea where I was going. I focused on blocking all thoughts from my mind. I didn't want to think right now. I just wanted to be left alone.

Eventually, my cardiovascular fitness (or lack of, in this case) caught up with me and I stopped in my tracks and put my hands on my knees as I wheezed desperately and gasped for breath. A metallic taste filled my mouth and my throat felt painfully dry. I needed a drink. It was only 6am, the sun wasn't even entirely up yet. I realized in the back of my mind that it must have still been quite dark when I walked out. Anything could have happened. Not that I cared right now. I still wasn't thinking, remember?

Now for the most important thing (somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized how stupid that sounded considering everything that was going on), finding myself something to drink. In Morganville when it was barely light outside, it was a struggle to find somewhere that would sell me a bottle of water. Suddenly, a dark thought entered my mind. I knew at least one place that would sell me a drink at this time considering it never exactly closed. The local bar. I hadn't been there before, only walked past it with Eve one time, but it didn't look like that highlight of society. But then again, who needed class when your parents just died unexpectedly. No. What I needed was a drink.

I span on my heels and still catching my breath, walked through the doors. I ignored the curious and confused looks from the group of men drinking by the door. I almost judged them for being rotten drunk at 6am before I realized that I was about to do the same. The whole place was dusty and it stunk of alcohol and urine. One part of me was desperate to get out of there and to go back home to where my friends were probably worried, and the one place where I would be safe. The only part told me that doing that would basically provide a key to all of the pain that I was storing inside a draw that was rattling to get out. I was ready to feel yet. I just needed things to go back to how they were yesterday before everything was ruined.

"Aren't you a little young to be in here?" the bartender asked, pulling me back into reality. He was middle aged with short, greying hair along with a name tag that said his name was Phil. He was the kind of guy who would have been hot if he was younger.

"I'm 18, but who cares anyway?" I told him coldly, surprising even myself with how different I sounded, "It's not like I'm going to tell my parents anyway,"

Phil growled, "How do I know that you won't? For all I know, you could be under cover, trying to shut this place down. You could be planning on running straight home to Mommy and Daddy to tell them all about the club that served you alcohol even knowing that you were a minor and they go straight to the police,"

"I can assure you that won't happen," I chuckled cynically.

He leaned over the bar, putting down the cup he was drying, "How can you promise that, little girl?"

I ignored the little girl comment, "My parents died this morning,"

Phil's mouth gaped open and he suddenly looked very guilty. Then he smirked, "Well then, you came to the right place. What can I get you?

* * *

"Who would've thought that I, little Claire Danvers who was always a boring little bookworm and goody two shoes, would be working for a vampire queen and a crazy vampire scientist," I started howling as I reached for my drink. My hand felt disconnected to my body and it took me a few seconds to grip it properly.

"I was destined for Broadway and now I'm running a bar 24/7," Phil countered.

"My parents are dead," I howled, though I had no idea why I was laughing. Maybe it was disbelief more than anything. Maybe I was just too drunk. I had drunk a lot. More than I drank on New Years Eve. Except that New Years ended with Shane and I curled up naked in his bed. Mm, Shane. He was kind of hot. I wanted Shane.

"I need to-" I hiccuped, then started again, "I need to find my boyfriend,"

As if on cue, my phone started ringing. It had been ringing all day, mostly. There had been a brief period where they stopped calling but then they started calling again. Then they stopped, and now they were starting again. I had no idea what time it was but my hazy mind processed that I had been at the bar for a while.

I picked the phone up, "Hellooo, Claire Danvers speaking?"

Shane's panicked voice came down the phone, "Where are you Claire? What's going on? You can't just take off like that,"

I shushed his sloppily, then slurred out, "Oh Shaney, I'm 18 years old of age, I can do whateverrr _I_ want to. Talking about what I want to do, do you want to voulez-vouz in my room tonight?" I was vaguely aware of how desperate and inappropriate I was being but a mix of alcohol and numbness made me not really care.

I heard muffled voices and then the phone made a weird shuffling noise and Eve started screeching down the phone at me, "Claire, we've been so worried. It's nearly sunset, you've been gone nearly all day. Everyone is worried about you. We even called Hannah and got all the cops out looking for you. Please just tell us where you are so we can come get you. Please,"

Phil called over to me, "Claire, can I get you another drink?"

"Surprise me Phillip," I flirted with him gently.

"Claire, are you at a bar?" Eve gasped, "Are you drunk?"

I snapped without thinking, "I don't know _Mom_ , am I?" Then I felt my mouth straighten and a sudden rush of guilt and regret rush through me. No. No. I couldn't think like that. I was happy, I needed to be happy.

"Claire are you there?" Eve called. I shook my head, even though she couldn't see me, "Nevermind, Shane thinks he knows where you are, we're coming to get you,"

I turned the phone off without saying goodbye. I wasn't a child, why did they have to spoil my fun by coming to get me? So what if they 'wanted to help'? I wasn't a baby anymore. I was now an orphan. I didn't need someone else taking my parents place. Eventually, Phil came back holding two drinks. One for me and one for him. The entire bar was empty now, except for the two of us. I guess people started clearing out once Phil became a one-client kind of bartender.

"Who was on the phone?" He asked, passing me my drink.

I took a sip and ran my fingers through my hair, slurringly replying, "My boyfriend, and my friend. They want me to come home,"

"And do you want to go home?"

"No," I told him simply, my drunk mind unable to detect the dangerous tint of his voice.

He moved closer, "Well maybe you can come to my house,"

"What for?" I blurted innocently.

"You know what I want Claire," I gasped and suddenly, I sobered up. I tried to run but as soon as I stood up, my legs turned to jelly. Huh. I guess I was drunker than I had originally thought. I swung around and nearly fell but Phil caught my arm. He pulled me up to his height and planted a kiss on my lips. He held my face terrifyingly close to him. I could feel his gin-stained breath as he leaned in for a second kiss. I tried to pull away but the grip he had on me was like steel. He was inches away from my face. He was going to kiss me, then probably do worse. I closed my eyes to shield myself but nothing happen.

"Take your hands off of her," That was Shane, "Now,"

Suddenly, Phil was swept away from me as he fell onto the floor in a heap. I saw him groan and reach for his nose in pain. I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders and Eve came into my line of vision. She looked me up and down, obviously double checking that I was okay while Michael and Shane dealt with Phil.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay! That creep nearly got you," she pulled me in for a hug and squeezed tightly. I tried to hug her back but my stomach started turning. I pushed her away and turned around to empty the contents of my stomach (which, admittedly was mostly some form of alcohol). Luckily, Eve seemed to know what was going on before even I did myself. She managed to grab a bin and stick it under me just in time. It made me wonder how many times she had been drunk herself in the past.

"Eve?" I heard Michael's concerned voice call from across the room. I looked up quickly to see him and Shane looking at me with fear in their eyes.

"She'll be okay," Eve reassured them then signed and rubbed my back gently, "Let's just get her home,"

* * *

Muffled voices. Thumping. Need water. Parents.

I shot up straight. For a second, I was overcome with utter confusion. How did I get here? What happened? Then reality started to sink in. Yesterday was more than a bad dream. Yesterday had been hell. It was real. It happened. Memories were coming back to me sporadic and shattered, like a broken jigsaw. I remembered going to a bar. Then I remembered the bartender, what was his name? Phil, was it? It was. I remembered a phone call. Then Shane. Oh god, he must have been so hurt when he came in and some other guy was all over me. Hell, I still can't believe he saw me in that state. I know it was probably the least of my problems, but still. I almost prided myself on being the calm and collected one and maybe I was a little upset that I had given in.

I was broken out of my thoughts by my need for water. I tried to stand up but my head felt like it was going to spin away from body. Jesus. This is what a hangover felt like, then. Water. Just concentrate on water.

I started heading downstairs but stopped in my tracks when I got to the top of the stairs. Everyone was already downstairs, and talking. About me, it seemed. They're up early, I thought. I glanced down the hall at the old grandfather clock and saw that it was half 12. Or maybe not. I heard my name, but couldn't quite work out what they were saying. I sat down gently on the top of the stairs and leaned as far as I could towards the living room, resting my head across the bannister. My throat burned but my curiosity won over and I became desperate to know what they were saying. A small part of me was slightly paranoid that they were angry at me, even though I logically knew they probably weren't.

"She's probably just..." I heard Eve say.

"... I don't even know," That was Shane.

Michael added in this time, "Yeah but you..."

This was useless. I couldn't hear anything. Well not anything worth hearing at least. I needed to get closer. I slowly shuffled down to the next step, feeling like I was 7 years old again and I was listening in to my parents conversations about my birthday plans. Damn, a pain struck me in the chest. They were gone. They were really gone.

Once I'd reached the bottom step, I slowly lifted up and tiptoed to the wall. I slid across until I was right outside. I could hear everything now.

"I've never seen Claire like that, though. It just shocked me, you know?" That was Eve.

"Guys," Michael.

"Well I know what it's like to lose a parent and that was pretty tame compared to what I was like," Shane.

"Guys," Michael tried to get their attention. He sounded more forceful this time, "She's outside,"

I felt myself blush. Did I really think I could listen in to a conversation including _Michael_. Of course he would be able to tell. I slowly pulled down the handle and walked into the room. There was an awkward pause for just a second as nobody quite knew what to say to me. It was quickly intercepted by Eve, though.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," Eve chirped fakely, her voice too loud and her too tone to cheery, "Do you want me to get you anything? Coffee? Aspirin?"

"Yeah," I croaked, then coughed and spoke normally, "Please. And water,"

Eve nodded and hopped into the kitchen. I saw Shane roll his eyes dramatically and Michael chuckled then put a hand on my shoulder before following Eve. I flopped dramatically on the couch and groaned. I closed my eyes and trained to clear my brain. After a few seconds, I felt my legs being lifted as Shane slid underneath. He started massaging my feet gently. It was nice. I opened one eye and gave him a tired half smile which he returned.

I took a deep breath and thought about whether to say something or not. I changed my mind three or four times before deciding to just ask, "What were guys talking about?"

"You," he said bluntly, but not in a mean way, just matter-of-factly, "Are you okay? Really okay?"

I sighed, "I'm fine,"

"Claire-"

"Honestly. I pretty much got it out of my system last night,"

"You can't just get something like that out of your system. It's not that easy,"

I shrugged and took a warm cup from Eve, "Maybe it is for me,"

He looked shocked, "Claire,"

"Don't do this," I told him. He shook his head. He wanted me to talk, obviously. But I didn't see what there is too talk about. I slipped up last night. No big deal really. And about my parents? Well of course, I was upset, but I couldn't dwell on it. Life went on. _My_ life went on, at least.

"Thanks for the coffee, Eve, but I think I'm going to take it up to my room," Eve's mouth gaped like a fish as she looked towards Michael then back to me. It was obvious she wanted me to talk too. Well it wasn't happening. I pushed off the sofa and headed back up to my room to bury myself in work. Or music. Or reading. Or anything at all to distract me from what I'd lost.

* * *

The funeral was on a Tuesday. I had always hated Tuesday's, but now I had a reason. I had worn a black skater dress with black tights to match the weather. It had poured down all day, and the rain had been torrential. One of the worst climates that this part of Texas had seen in a few years. Ironic, isn't it? The service had been tiring. Nearly everyone I spoke to felt the need to describe to me (with complete actions) the exact height (or lack thereof) I had been when they last saw me. Why did it matter, anyway? People grew up. People died. That was how it worked. I was used to it by now.

It seemed like everyone my parents had ever known were all clamored like sardines into one small church. It never failed to surprise me how you never really appreciate how many people cared until it was a funeral. Wasn't that always the way? You didn't know what you had until it was gone?

I'd spent the week tiptoeing around my roommates, making sure that they believed that everything was fine. I had even dotted concealer around the bags under my eyes to make them think I had been sleeping well, even though I had vivid, terrifying nightmares every time my eyes closed. I waited until late at night to throw away all the food they'd made because I couldn't eat it. My parents had died. Shouldn't _they_ be tiptoeing around _me_?

In all honesty, though, I couldn't exactly expect them to act like typical friends of the grieving when I wasn't acting like a typical griever (was that even a word?). They thought I was putting up a wall, blocking them out. That wasn't true though. Besides the nightmares and the lack of hunger, I wasn't hiding anything from them. I was just numb. Everything was grey and cold and I didn't feel _anything_. I was terrible daughter. I wanted to sob hysterically and talk honestly about how much I missed them already. But nothing ever came out.

Maybe that's why I loved the weather today. It was about as cold as I was.

As soon as I got the chance, I slipped away into the kitchen. Before I got to the door, though, I was stopped in my tracks. Somebody was already in there. Multiple _somebodies_ it seemed. I put my ear up against the wall to listen.

"She hasn't cried once," I heard Shane saying. A growl rose in my throat. Why was I always catching them talking about me in whispered tones lately? Why were they talking about me at all?

"Dude, you _want_ your girlfriend to cry?" Michael countered. I smiled slightly. Michael was always the voice of reason in annoying situations like this. He always gave people a good dose of reality.

"No, you know that's not what I meant," Shane explained, "I guess I expected her to be upset or to feel guilty or something,"

My heart stopped. _I expected her to feel guilty_. Did that mean that he thought I was in some way guilty for their death. It'd been a car crash, and I had nothing to do with it, but I had been harsh on them on the phone. Where had they been going so late at night? Were they coming to see me? I felt bile rise in my throat. Maybe that's why I hadn't been grieving probably. I was guilty, and subconsciously, I knew it. I killed them.

The air which had just a few seconds before been icy cold, suddenly felt stifling hot. It was almost like there wasn't enough oxygen to go around. I had to get out of there. I started rushing towards the front door, pushing past distant relatives and friends as I went.

"Claire, are you okay?" Eve asked as she appeared in my line of vision. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her grey eyes looked concerned. I couldn't focus on that, though. Only one word was circling around my brain like a broken record stuck repeating the same thing a thousand times: _Murderer_.

My brain registered that it was pitch black as I ran out into the street but I didn't turn around, despite the dangers. I had to keep going. I just ran up and ran until I couldn't run anymore. My hands and legs were numb and I eventually collapsed onto the floor beside a bench and rested my face against the rough wood. I was gasping for breath but I couldn't keep any air in.

"Claire," I heard someone call at me but I couldn't make out who it was. It wasn't deep enough to be Michael or Shane but I knew Eve's voice so it couldn't be her. They called my name again and I was vaguely aware of them getting closer towards me. The world was spinning around me. My fists were curled tightly for dear life against the bench and I was still gasping desperately for air.

"Claire, you're having a panic attack" The voice told me, "You need to take deep breaths,"

"...Can't," I whispered breathlessly.

"You can. In through the nose and out through the mouth. You will only make yourself worse," I tried my hardest to do as they were telling me and after a few seconds, it started to work. I closed my eyes and took long, deep breaths. I was okay. I would be okay. The fuzz in my brain started to clear up and I felt my muscles relax. After what felt like hours, I opened my eyes. I was blinded for a few seconds from the darkness. It really was pitch black. It hit me how much danger I'd been in when I bolted. Anything could have happened. A shiver ran up my spine just thinking about it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of blonde. I automatically turned towards it. I couldn't hide the shocked gasp that escaped my mouth. Amelie was sitting on the bench, gazing into the distance. Disbelief came over me. Amelie was the voice? Seriously? But she had been so... Kind. Amelie wasn't cruel, as such, but she wasn't exactly kind either. I hadn't even noticed that she was at the funeral, let alone noticed her running after me. Why had she bothered? She never cared about my well being before. Not really. Why now?

As if hearing my thoughts, she turned towards me, "You helped me with Sam,". She shrugged and I felt myself freeze from shock. A shrug was so un-Amelie that it looked strange coming from her. She was lying, it was the only explanation. There was another reason she followed me here. I instantly thought back to Myrnin's letter from Amelie. It felt like a lifetime away now, but I still remembered how secretive and angry he had been about it.

Amelie stood up quickly, breaking me out of my thoughts. She smoothed down her black skirt and nodded at someone in the distance. I followed her gaze and saw a smooth black limousine waiting on the side of the road. Amelie turned to me, "You should go home. I would imagine your friends will be worried and it's not... _Safe_ , at this time of night for a human girl like you,"

I almost gave a sigh of relief. She was sounding more and more like her normal self with every passing second. I stumbled into her limo and she ordered for the driver to take me home. An awkward silence filled the vehicle as thought after thought filled my brain. Myrnin's secret letter from Amelie. Amelie attending the funeral. Amelie chasing me out here and actually helping me and being nice. Something didn't add up and I could bet my life that it had to do with my parents. Whatever it was, Amelie knew.

And I was determined to find out.


	5. three

_"Hey sweetheart, how was your day?" My Dad asked as I sat down at the kitchen table. I'd had a long day at school and I was exhausted. It was a hard life being 8 years old. Obviously, my Mom had caught on to this and leant down to place a bowl of watermelon down in front of me. My favourite! How did she know?_

 _"It was okay, we drew pictures,"_

 _"You drew pictures? Wow! That's awesome!" My mom replied, sounding way too happy. Suddenly, I heard a baby cry from the corner of the room. My head snapped towards it instinctively. I didn't have a sibling. I've never had a sibling. A women covered from head to toe in a black coat was standing in the corner of the room. I couldn't see her face but I was pretty sure I knew her from somewhere. I looked over at my parents to find that they were smiling widely while looking back and forth between me and the women. My Dad nodded slightly and I decided to let curiosity get the better of me. I swung my legs of the chair and tiptoed towards the women in the way only a child could. When I reached her, I realized that she didn't have a face. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought that I should have been afraid but I wasn't._

 _The baby in her arms started cooing and waving its chubby arms at me. I smiled and leant down to lift the baby from the woman's arms. As I did though, the woman disappeared and I was letting holding the infant. It sta_ _rted wailing and I turned to my parents to ask what to do but they just scowled at me. I started panicking. Somewhere in the background, there was a crash of thunder which was just about heard over the screams of the child. I started soothing the baby for a few seconds before he/she fell out of my arms and rolled onto the floor face down. I was horrified._

 _"What have you done?" My mother screamed, shaking me my shoulders. I started crying._

 _My Dad came up behind her, "You are a terrible daughter, Claire!"_

 _"We made many mistakes but you are the worst of them all!" My Mom screamed. Then my parents both doubled over and started coughing up blood. I stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. They slowly fell to the floor and I started sobbing._

 _"I'm sorry!" I screamed._

* * *

I sat up. My heart was pounding and my breathing was heavy. I looked around. I was in bed with Shane mere meters away from me. He was snoring heavily, his arm over his face. I tried to control my breathing. I was safe. I was at home. The dream wasn't real, even if the worst parts of it were. But it had seemed so vivid. My stomach turned as I thought about my parents blood covering the floor. I jumped up and raced to the bathroom. I threw myself onto the floor and started being violently sick. I gripped onto the toilet seat as tear filled my eyes.

I heard footsteps behind me. I knew it was Shane. I tried to stop him coming in but my efforts were weak and he just pushed his way in and knelt besides me. He rubbed up and down my back and whispered to me soothingly. I whimpered. I hated being sick. More than anything, I hated feeling weak. I sat up for a few seconds, trying to catch my breath but immediately started throwing up.

"It's okay, baby. You're okay," Shane soothed as I let out a strangled sob.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled to Shane _and_ my parents.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Shane replied, not quite catching on to what I meant, "I'm your boyfriend, this my job,"

I leant back into his chest and he wrapped me in a hug, pulling me closer to him. I closed my eyes and took in everything about him. The way he smelt, the way we fit together like a jigsaw, the way he always felt like home even when I was least sure of what _home_ was. I thought about how he had rushed after me as soon as he realized I was sick. I didn't deserve him. That's only of the few things my parents had been wrong about. They'd thought that I was too good for him, but if anything, it was the other way around.

"You want to talk about it?" Shane's caring voice came through the darkness. There he went again, being an amazing boyfriend while I was probably the worst girlfriend.

"No, it's just a dream. It doesn't matter," I whispered, slightly hoping that he wouldn't let it drop. I secretly kind of wanted to talk about it.

"It does matter," There he goes again, being all amazing and stuff. It was like he read my mind.

"I had the stupidest dream," I started, "I just dreamt that I was a kid again, in my old house with my parents and everything was okay but then there was this strange woman dressed in black and I knew her but I couldn't see her face. She was holding a baby and she gave the baby to me but I dropped it on the floor and my parents were really angry and then they started shouting at me then they died in front of me,"

Shane nodded as if he understood. He'd had nightmares like that before, I realized. He didn't say anything for a while. We just sat on the bathroom floor and he held me tightly in his arms and stroked my hair as I lay my head on his chest.

Eventually, he took a deep breath, "When Alyssa died, I had dreams like that. I kept thinking about what I could have done different. I tried to save her, you know, but I just couldn't get to her in time. My Mom blamed herself too. I'll never know for sure if she actually killed herself or if she just remembered too much but I think by that point, I'd already lost her,"

"How?" I felt like a child when I replied. My voice was quiet and soft through the door, like asking to hear the end of a scary story; already knowing the answer, but needing to hear it aloud anyway.

Shane signed and dug his chin into my hair, "She blamed herself. That's the problem with blame, it kills you slowly. You lose who you are,"

"Oh," I whispered.

"I can't lose you, Claire,"

"You won't,"

"I think I already am," he whispered, as if he was announcing a painful, untold confession, "The night when you ran off to the bar and that guy was hitting on you. And at the funeral, you seemed so cold. I'm scared for you,"

"I know but I'm not going anyway. I just… Freaked out, you know?"

"I get it, I really do. I just wanted to make sure you knew" I thought about how Amelie and Myrnin had been acting, as well as the confusion around my parents death. Shane had been through it with not only Alyssa, but his Mom too. He'd understand. He'd want me to find out what exactly happened that night.

"Shane," I started, "There's something I wanted to ask you,"

He tilted his head in confusion, "What's up?"

T"Well the other day, I was-"

I was cut off by Eve screeching, "Claire, your boss is at the door for you,"

Myrnin was here? At 7 o'clock in the morning? Weider things have happened, true, but it was still unusual for Myrnin. He, along with thousands of other people, expressed severe distaste for early mornings. I thought about Myrnin's letter from Amelie the evening before my parents died. Something was going on. My heart sunk. I had to speak with him. He was here to tell me something, and it was obviously important.

"So about that dream you had…" Shane interrupted my thoughts, "Didn't you say that she was a strange woman dressed entirely in black?"

I laughed, catching on to where this was going, "I do believe that was the description I used,"

"And you recognized her?" I laughed and he continued, "Aha, I have cracked the case of the unknown dream lady"

I gave him a playful slap on the shoulder and pushed myself up from the floor and sighed before heading out from mine and Shane's little safe haven and back into the real world. I half walked, half jogged downstairs to the door. Eve was standing in her black shirt and black work trousers, which made me inwardly smile, remembering Shane's joke. Eve raised an eyebrow and shot me a look as if to say 'he's nuts' and walked into the living room, leaving me alone with Myrnin. He actually looked pretty normal today. Well, normal for Myrnin. I wasn't sure a Hawaiian shirt and green trousers was totally normal, but it was a huge improvement from some of his other signature looks. I was suddenly reminded of how underdressed I was. I was wearing a pair of grey pyjama trousers with a childish pink and white striped t-shirt with a quote about unicorns and a whimsical unicorn dancing over a rainbow.

I crossed my arms defensively, "What are you doing here?"

"I have to warn you," he gasped breathlessly, a wide-eyed, hysterical expression on his face.

"Warn me what?" I asked, an unexpected tone of annoyance filling my voice. Shane and I had been finally connecting after so long of emptiness and he had to come here and ruin it? And for what? He wasn't telling me anything useful. He was talking nonsense.

"Claire! You must lock yourself away and never come out! It's too dangerous"

"Myrnin." I sighed angrily, "Unless you know something useful, please leave me alone. I'm trying to grieve,"

Myrnin stepped through the door and grabbed me by the wrists. I gasped and instantly pulled away from him, which only made him pull me closer. I heard footsteps coming from behind me and Eve's voice calling me but I couldn't register what she was saying. Myrnin brought me right up to his face so we were literally inches away from each other.

"I'm serious, Claire. I can't explain what, but something terrible is happening and you may be a target. You must stay safe," Myrnin exclaimed, his cold breath hitting my face. I was close enough that I could the lines on his face, and his _eyes_. They were dark brown, almost black, but they were wide and crazed, but also petrified. I had no idea what was going on, but whatever if was, Myrnin genuinely believed it.

"Get away from her!" I heard Michael scream. Suddenly Myrnin fell to the ground in a heap. Michael lifted him by the collar off his Hawaiian and pushed him out the door. I felt the house turn cold as it helped Michael get rid of Myrnin.

Myrnin shouted through the door, "Just beware, that's all I'm saying," then silence. I felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment taking over me. Maybe there was some truth to what Myrnin was saying, but it was mostly useless. I had wanted so much for him to give me an explanation. I had hoped that I was going to find out what happened to my parents, so I could finally let go.

"Are you okay?" Michael asked, putting his hands on my shoulders.

I nodded weakly, still in a daze. Then I shook my head and managed to make out some words, "I'm fine,"

All three of my friends looked me up and down for a few seconds before simultaneously deciding for themselves that I wasn't really hurt. We all took a sigh of relief and I inwardly chuckled despite myself. We had all been in danger so many times, we had started synching up our reaction times.

"What the hell was that?" Shane asked, breaking the moment.

I shook my head, "I have no idea,"

"He's crazier than I thought," Michael added.

"He might not be," My head whipped round to face Eve, who was looking genuinely fearful. She looked at the ground, took a breath then explained, "Yesterday at work, Oliver was acting strange too. He kept disappearing for secretive phone calls, and when he was actually _doing_ his job, he was strangely distant. He seemed worried. I know it sounds stupid but I think there must be something going on,"

"Myrnin may be crazy but he is one the people closest to Amelie. So is Oliver. If anything bad was happening in town, those two would be the first to know," Shane admitted.

Michael lent over to check the locks on the door, almost without thinking. Then he turned to us and said, "We need to be prepared just in case. And we're not getting involved until we have too,"

He looked at me for the last bit then walked into the kitchen with Eve following shortly after him. Suddenly Shane and I were alone again. He sighed, "I suppose it wouldn't be Morganville if we weren't in mortal danger,"

"Well you _did_ say that this year would change everything,"


	6. four

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Shane whispered as he came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist. I sighed and rested against his chest, taking comfort in his human warmth.

"I know, but you know what Eve is like, she's insistent that this party goes ahead despite everything," I told him and he laughed slightly.

"Well, I may be brave enough to fight vampires and the draug and countless other monsters but I can honestly say that I am not brave slash stupid enough to tell Eve to cancel her 21st birthday party,"

I laughed and there was a few seconds of silence as we watched Michael struggling to hang up a red and black banner. He was waving his hands above his head manically, while only tangling himself into the paper further. Part of me wanted to rush over and help him, but another part of me was cruelly finding it far too funny to stop it now. After a few seconds, Shane sighed and gave my arm a gentle brush before walking over towards Michael and guiding him out of the paper chains.

"Claire!" Eve called from upstairs and my head whipped around to the top of the stairs. Eve was wrapped up in a black dressing gown with her hair wrapped up in a superman towel on the top of her head. She quickly gestured for me to go upstairs then darted into her room, leaving the door open for me to follow her. I sighed and pushed myself up from the stairs, giving one last glance towards Shane and Michael who were flailing about, dramatically mimicking Michael's skills (or lack thereof) at decorating. I couldn't stop the grin that came to my lips. _Dorks._

Walking into Eve's room, I felt myself gasp in horror. Spewed sporadically all around the room was piles and piles of clothes. Dresses, specifically. Eve's room honestly looked more like the back room of a boutique than a bedroom at this point. She had one, two, _three_ ball gowns laying out on her bed and multiple cocktails dresses thrown in random places across the room.

"I don't have anything to wear," Eve announced. I felt my eyes wide. How could she not have anything to wear? Eve picked up on my confusion and explained, "Okay, I _know_ that I have a lot of dresses but I don't know which one to pick. I want it to be special. I only turn 21 once,"

I had the urge to point that she wasn't actually turning 21 until tomorrow, but decided against it. Instead, I let my eyes gaze over her mountains of clothes, searching for something she might like. I came across a simple blue dress with spaghetti straps and a poofy skirt. I held it up towards her and she shook her head, "No, that's too simple. I'm the birthday girl, I have to stand out, you know?"

I didn't. But I nodded anyway and diligently carried on digging through the piles until I came across a short red dress with a slit down the middle and stripes of material going across it. It was both shocking and sexy, something I would never wear in a million years but Eve would probably love. I held it up towards her and she gasped, "That's more like it, CB!"

She immediately stripped off and slid the dress on over her head. I watched as she posed a few times in front of the mirror and then slid her heels on and repeated the same poses again. Then she span around to me quickly, "What do you think?"

"You look amazing," I told her honestly.

She span back towards the mirror and shimmied the dress down a bit, "Are you sure?"

I stood up and appeared behind her in the mirror, "Yes, I'm sure. You look great,"

She smiled widely, as pushed her long black hair behind her ear, "What are you wearing Clairebear?"

I shrugged, "I don't know," Honestly, I hadn't been feeling good for a while now. I wasn't feeling bad, as such, but just not good either. I was just tired of being tired, and I always felt like I could burst into tears at any second. Logically, I knew that it was probably because of my parents, and my mini breakdown and the added stress of Myrnin's seemingly random warning that _once again_ , we were all in danger (although we didn't know what said danger was) but deep down, I had a feeling something else was going on.

"Hey, are you okay?" Eve asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts. She put her hands on my shoulders and bent down slightly so we were face to face, "My best friend duties don't stop because it's my birthday. If you're feeling upset and want to talk, I'm here for you,"

I smiled and a single tear escaped onto my cheek, "It's not your birthday until tomorrow,"

Eve giggled then wiped away my tear and sat me down the bed besides her, "What's wrong?"

"Everything," I shook my head, "And nothing,"

"I get that," Eve nodded and I knew that she really did, "You've been through a lot lately, it's normal to be upset,"

I nodded, "Yeah, I know that. I can't even tell you exactly what's making me sad, I just am. I'm just really tired, you know?"

Eve nodded sadly and then rubbed my arm as more silent tears fell from my eyes, "Do you think you may be depressed, Claire?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so. I just think that a lot of stuff has happened and it's all building up. I just can't help but feel like something else will happen. I know that probably doesn't even make sense," I sniffled.

"No, that makes perfect sense. You need time to recover. Nothing bad will happen, despite what everyone is telling us, but it's natural to feel like it might," then a dark cloud passed over Eve's eyes and in less than second, she was in her head and back again, "But Claire, if you do think that you're depressed, if you still feel the same in a few weeks, you have to talk to me. Promise?"

She held out her pinky and I wrapped my own around it, "I promise,"

She gave me a smile, "Now let's pick you out an amazing dress for tonight,"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her closet. Even though my feelings hadn't changed, Eve had reassured me that I wasn't going crazy, and most importantly, I wasn't alone. My friends were here for me no matter what. For the first time in what felt like forever, I stopped thinking and let myself be happy.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for the party to get into full swing. When the doorbell had rung for the first time of the night, Eve had squealed and jumped up and down a few times before rushing downstairs to greet them. I watched from the landing as she hugged a group of three girls who I vaguely recognized as her fellow baristas at the Common Grounds. She led them quickly into the the living room. Within a few minutes, the doorbell was ringing again with another group of people, ones I didn't recognize this time but everyone else seemed to. One of the guys even patted Michael on the shoulder and they both tilted their heads back with laughter, too engrossed in conversation to see me looking lost from the top of the stairs.

I crept back into my bedroom, engulfing in my last few moments alone before what was sure to be a tiring night. There was a knot in the pit of my stomach and my hand unconsciously rested on it as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Eve had gushed over my dress and told me that she wished she could have my figure. Shane had practically drooled when he caught a glimpse of me while I was waiting for Eve to finish pinning up her hair. Even Michael had told me I looked 'pretty'. I didn't see it but it still felt nice. I was wearing a simple silver cocktail dress with long sleeves which felt tighter than when I'd last tried it on, reminding me to stop eating so much junk food, despite Eve telling me that it was supposed to be a tight fit. My hair was mostly straight but loosely curled at the bottom and fell down to my waist as a constant reminder that I hadn't been to the salon for a haircut in a while (a very long while). I had borrowed a pair of tall, black heels and a plain black clutch bag from Eve to finish it off.

Yet, all I saw when I looked in the mirror was a little girl still dressing up in Mommy's clothes.

"Hey there," I heard Shane call from the doorway. I jumped slightly but didn't turn around. He came up behind me slowly and wrapped his arms around me.

"You look gorgeous, don't worry" He told me and I smiled at how easily he had picked up on my inner worrying.

"Thank you," I whispered then I turned around to kiss him softly. When we broke apart for air, we stayed intertwined, with our foreheads touching gently.

"We should go downstairs," Shane told me, and put his arm around me as he started to lead me downstairs towards the party.

* * *

I quickly realized three things when I got into the party. The first was that Eve had invited way too many people for the size of the house. The Glass House was big but not that big. Secondly, I had been in my room a lot longer than I had thought. Most people I saw were already tipsy. Some were already getting into the 'sloppy drunk stage'. The third was that Malibu was actually kind of disgusting, and that a simple vodka and coke was a thousand times better.

I wasn't exactly a party person. I would much rather have celebrated Eve's birthday with a household movie night or with an (obviously hilarious) game of charades, but this was what Eve wanted. As much as I wanted to kick everyone out and go lie in bed, I had to honor that. She was my best friend, after all.

"Parties aren't really your thing, huh?" Shane asked from behind me, making me jump.

"You have to stop sneaking up on me," I laughed then quietly explained myself, "For your information, I do like parties, I'm just not in the mood,"

"Well, I'm sure we can change that," Shane replied. I gave him a shrug and a hmph before he cut me off with a passionate kiss. He pushed me up gently against the door frame and I instinctively tangled my fingers into his hair. We stayed like that for as long as we possibly could we had to break apart for air.

"Yeah, that helps," I whispered breathlessly, making Shane chuckle with equal breathlessness. Then I heard the first few notes of one of my favourite songs and smiled to myself.

 _Looking from a window above, it's like a story of love._ _Can you hear me?_

"I love this song,"

"What is it?" He asked.

"'Only You', it's actually really good,"

 _Came back only yesterday, I'm moving farther away._ _Want you near me._

"Well let's dance then," Shane smiled as he took my hand and led me onto the dance floor. Somewhere deep down, I was slightly embarrassed to be actually up dancing at a party where people from school and around town could see me, but the larger part of me was focused on Shane and not myself. All of my childish fears and previous anxiety and bad mood started slowly melting away when I was with him. He span me around and then pulled me back into his again and I put my arms around his shoulders lovingly. I was lost in the moment. I wasn't thinking anymore. I felt free. Happy.

 _All I needed was the love you gave. All I needed for another day. And all I ever knew, only you._

* * *

Shane and I danced for what felt like forever, before eventually, one of the guys he knew from school came over and asked if he wanted to play a game of beer pong with him and a few other guys. I'd been invited to play too, but I got the vibe that it was more out of obligation so I declined. I was actually 100% what beer pong was but I knew I probably wouldn't enjoy it. Shane looked slightly guilty to be leaving me alone, but I knew that he was desperate to catch up with his friends so I reassured him that I'd be fine and let him go.

I pushed my way through the crowds for a while, trying to find Eve. Now that Shane was gone, the sinking feeling in my stomach was returning and being alone in a huge crowd of people wasn't helping much. Eventually, I got bored and headed to the kitchen for a drink. I grabbed a bottle of water from a bucket of what had once been ice but was now just water. I made sure to crack the seal myself, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the dead girl's dance. Memories of Ian's face still sent shivers down my spine, even now.

I took a swig of the bottle greedily and leant back against the door frame where just a few hours ago, Shane and I had been making out. I wiped some sweat off of my forehead and felt my stomach turn. I didn't really feel good. I'd only had 2 drinks, and even then, I'd had plenty of water to dilute it. No, this wasn't the kind of nausea you got from alcohol.

Suddenly, I felt the urge to be sick. I quickly leant over and vomited into the kitchen sink. The people nearby recoiled with disgust and a group of college boys whistled and whooped. I felt my cheeks burning bright red and just hoped that nobody I knew had saw me. I felt sweaty and shaky. I had to get out the quickly.

I pushed my way through the crowds again, clinging on to my bottle of water and trying not to crash into anyone. I made it up the stairs with no major disasters. I was about to head into Shane's room, knowing that the familiar scent of his duvet would give me comfort but before I got there, a couple about the same age as me pushed there way in. They were glued to each other's lips and I cringed to think about what they were probably about to do on Shane's bed. I pushed it to the back of my mind, quickly, not having the energy to argue with them. Instead, I walked down the hall and into my own bedroom.

I gave a sigh of relief when it was still exactly how I'd left it. It was pitch black and silent, giving me a momentary break from the rush of the party. Within seconds, I was already feeling a lot better. I shut the door against me and kicked my shoes off. I sighed and reached for the light switch.

The second the room was illuminated, I regretted it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt myself straighten automatically. In the corner, sitting on my desk chair, was someone I'd hoped I would never have to see again.

I felt a animalistic hiss burn at the back of my throat, as I growled out, "Naomi,"


End file.
